Setting A New Direction For Public Transport

Getting people out of their cars and
back onto buses is one of the aims behind the change to the
Christchurch Metro network.

On 3 December, Environment
Canterbury is putting in place the first new high-frequency
service since the introduction of the successful Orbiter
service more than 10 years ago.

This new service, the
Blue Line, will run between Belfast and Princess Margaret
Hospital every 15 minutes. Community routes will connect
with this service at key suburban hubs and there will be
connections to the central city. It is the first step
towards a more efficient public transport service for the
city, based on the hubs and spokes model.

Commissioner Rex
Williams says “Before the earthquakes, the rate of growth
in passenger numbers on Metro had begun to flatten off and
so we had begun thinking about how to improve the service
and to be more innovative to attract more bus users.

“When the earthquakes happened, passenger numbers fell
as people no longer were able to access the central city.
The places where people worked also changed and bus services
no longer were able to get people where they wanted to go.
However in the last 18 months, patronage has been steadily
recovering and the new service will to continue to attract
back former passengers and to grow the number of new bus
users.

“Changing routes to reflect changing needs and
making it easier to get where you want around the city are
the keys to our new service.

“We have done intensive
research in to what we need to do to provide a more
effective service so bus travel is seen as a reliable and
convenient way to travel. The research, which has included
consultation with the public, has resulted in this new model
being put in place.

”The introduction of the Blue Line
is the first step. Within the next 18 months we will be
looking at how the Blue Line has been working and, depending
on the feedback we are given, we will probably made further
changes in 2014,’’ says Mr Williams.

Metro is also
making it easier to get information about the services and
has increased the number of ways passengers can find out
when their bus is coming and where it is going. There are
now improved ways to keep abreast of changes as well as
finding out about bus travel – new improved website,
mobile site, Facebook, Twitter feeds (free text alerts), QR
codes on bus stops.

The upgraded Metro website -
metroinfo.co.nz - shows all the services that will be
changing, along with help on which new service to take.
Passengers can also find new timetables and maps as well as
the overall new network map and print-friendly PDFs of
timetables have been created.

A mobile-friendly version
was also created so people can access the website more
easily on their cell phones. They can find out when the
next bus is due by typing in a bus stop number or street and
see real time information showing how many minutes until the
next bus is due at that stop.

This service which will be
available for every stop in Greater Christchurch gives
people more freedom by allowing them to check what time
their bus is expected from home, work, out and about. This
feature is also available on mobiles meaning people who have
smart phones effectively have a real time device in their
hands.

Environment Canterbury has also sought from input
from the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind about
the design and layout of timetables and timetable strips
have been updated for the new services to help people access
the information more easily. The size of bus numbers has
also increased so they can be more easily
recognised.

Environment Canterbury is also working with
the Christchurch City Council to ensure that bus stop
infrastructure allows for easy access for all
passengers.

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